Etihad "World's Leading Airline"

Date: 10/11/2009

UAE airline Etihad was voted "the World's Leading Airline" during the
latest World Travel Awards ceremony this weekend.

Airline chief executive James Hogan said perseverance in Etihad's vision
to become the best in the world supported the company's investment in
state-of-the-art products through "superb" customer service, according
to a Zawya report.

"As we move into 2010, we intend to cement our place as the world's best
airline, opening up new routes, taking delivery of new aircraft," said
Mr Hogan.

The company also took the Leading First Class award during the ceremony.

Mr Hogan emailed a statement on Monday to Dow Jones Newswires that claims the airline will be focusing on retaining its title in the coming year, though it no longer expects to achieve profitability in 2010 as planned.

Mr Hogan said the first profitable year is now forecast for 2011.